Deputy PM Goes Down to Georgia; Police Hold Him over ‘Prank’ 911 Call

For weeks, there have been speculations about an incident in the State of Georgia involving Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber.  It happened on April twentieth, while he was on vacation in the United States, visiting his two children who had relocated there with his ex-wife, the mother of the children.  During an interview with the Collet Area Representative last Thursday, he was cagey in his response when asked about the incident.  On Wednesday morning, the DPM appeared on a morning show where he was again asked to clarify what transpired during his visit to Atlanta last month.  This time, he was more candid in his explanation of what took place, including the details of his arrest, following what he describes as a prank emergency call.

Patrick Faber

Patrick Faber, Deputy Prime Minister

“There was an incident in the U.S. with the Henry County Sheriff, the police there in Henry County.  Those of you who are studying would know as well that my children have recently migrated to the U.S.  This was on an arrangement that I agreed to.  My ex-wife had remarried and moved to the States and my agreement was for the boys to go after they had worked out their status, and so they left in March and the boys are enrolled in those two schools that were in question.  I had called the schools to say that I would be visiting and I was welcomed by the principal, to say you are able to come in.  I wanted to check on their progress and I wanted to ensure that the school was aware that I am very much interested in their wellbeing, in their learning environment there and so on.  So I made those arrangements and upon arriving at the school on the day that was scheduled, I was greeted by the police and I was held to gunpoint and arrested and I was detained for about three hours.  I later learned that there was a 911 call made to the police claiming that I was going to the school to shoot, and in fact that I was a threat.  According to the Henry County Sheriff’s office, they said that I was described by name and by features and so naturally I cannot blame the police for doing what they did.  They acted in a manner that I think we would act here in Belize if a school, if we received information that a school was threatened.  Naturally, the police later on found out that that was never my intention, that the school was actually expecting me to visit.  It’s a normal situation for a parent to check in, especially if you don’t live in the country where the children are going to school.  And the police apologized profusely and in fact told me that they would be investigating the 911 call.  They told me the specifics about the caller and in fact promised me that they would be investigating it further, and that in fact I was a victim.  The police apologized profusely and I was allowed to go on my way.”

An online publication dated April twentieth carried a report of a “domestic situation” in which two Henry County schools had to be locked down before officers arrested a man.